Antislipping device



Oct. 18, 1960 D. A. MOON ANTISLIPPING DEVICE Filed Jan. 25, 1960 INVENTOR.

DICK A. MOON BY M ATTORNEY United States Patent G ANTISLIPPING DEVICE Dick A. Moon, Rte. 1, Box 29G, Del Mar, Calif.

Filed Jan. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 4,332

6 Claims. (Cl. 367.7)

The present invention relates to an antislipping device and more particularly to an antislipping device for detachable connection to the soles of footwear.

According to the present invention, there is provided an antislipping device which may be quickly and easily connected to the sales of footwear, thereby adapting ordinary street shoes for use in athletic exercise such as golf and the like. The device is an inexpensive substitute for costly golf shoes and similar types of shoes designed for use in football, baseball and track activities.

The present device comprises a pair of plates which are arranged in overlapping, transversely slidable relation. The plates are each provided with a plurality of calks, and are further provided with sole engaging clips at their outer opposed margins. The device includes means for urging the pair of plates together, that is, increasing the overlapped portion, to securely attach the clips to the sole of the shoe with which the device is associated.

More particularly, one of the pair of plates is provided with a plurality of transversely spaced receiving means or teeth, and the other plate carries a link which has an end element selectively engageable with one of the spaced teeth. The link is pivotally connected to a lever which is pivotally connected to the plate carrying the link, and the lever is operative to move the link in a substantially transverse direction. Movement of the link effects corresponding movement of the end thereof into engagement with the teeth, and continued movement of the lever causes the link to pull the teeth in a transverse direction, thereby increasing the overlap area between the plates.

It is a feature of the present invention that the end of the link is arranged to permit freely slidable transverse movement between the pair of plates so that spacing between the clips of the plates may be adjusted to fit the particular size of footwear with which the device is associated. Thereafter, movement of the lever causes the end of the link to engage the teeth and draw together the two plates to tighten the device on the footwear. An integral keeper is provided on one of the plates to retain the lever in its tightened or locked position. In addition, one of the plates includes a pair of opposed tabs which are formed to provide guideways through which the edge margins of the other plates slide during relative transverse movement. These tabs permit the desired transverse movement, but prevent movement in a direction normal to such transverse movement, which normal movement would undesirably disrupt the operative arrangement of the two plates and the Other objects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification and appended drawings wherein is illustrated a preferred form of the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the present device, as viewed from the underside of the footwear with which it is associated;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Figure 1, viewed from the opposite direction and indicating the open position of the device in dotted outline; and

Figure 3 is a view taken along line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the antislipping device of the present invention comprises a pair of plates 10 and 12 which are preferably made of flat sheet metal such as stainless steel. Plates 10 and 12 are arranged to fit transversely across the bottom of a shoe sole 14, and include a plurality of opposed sole engaging clips 16, integrally formed of the material of plates 10 and 12 and including an upright portion extending upwardly a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the average shoe sole. The upright portions of clips 16 are formed inwardly to provide flanges to grasp the usual sole of shoe 14.

Plates 10 and 12 are each provided with a plurality of calks 18 which are preferably integrally formed out of the material of plates 10 and 12 by a stamping or punching operation. Calks 18 are adapted to dig into the earth to provide better traction and prevent slipping.

Plate 10 is provided with a plurality of transversely spaced receiving means which conveniently take the form of teeth 20 formed in one of the edge margins of an elongated opening 22 provided in plate 10. The peaks and valleys formed by teeth 20 extend in a transverse direction across the midportion of plate 10, and it is noted that opening 22 is preferably of uniform distance between the peaks of teeth 20 and the opposite margin of opening 22.

Plate 12 also includes an opening 24 which is arranged in substantially superposed relation to opening 22 of plate 10. That is, with plates 10 and 12 arranged in overlapping relation, opening 24 will be just beneath opening 22. The lower margin 26 of opening 24, as viewed in Figure l, is made wider than the distance between the tips of the teeth 20 and the opposite margin of opening 22 to form a narrow slot. Above this slot the left margin of opening 24 extends inwardly to form a shoulder or camming surface 28. With the plates arranged in overlapping relation as illustrated, shoulder 28 is spaced inwardly of the edge margin of opening 22 opposite teeth 20, or, stated another way, shoulder 28 is spaced from teeth 20 a distance which is less than the distance between teeth 20 and the margin of opening 22 opposite teeth 20.

Link means 30, which is formed of sheet material similar to that of plates 10 and 12, is arranged adjacent the outer surface of plate 12, and includes an end portion 32 formed by bending the end of link means 30 at an angle substantially normal to the flat main body of link means 30. End portion 32, which extends through openings 22 and 24 is then bent over to form an integral tab 34 in coplanar, slidable relation with plate 10. Tab 34 is wider than the width of opening 22 to thereby maintain end portion 32 in position within openings 22 and 24. That is, end portion 32 is narrower than the adjacent sections of link means to maintain end portion 32 in position while yet permitting end portion 32 to be freely slidable within openings 22 and 24.

It is particularly noted that the width of end portion 32 is less than the distance between teeth 20 and the opposite margin of opening 22, but end portion 32 is wider than the distance between teeth 20 and shoulder 28 when plates 10 and 12 are in the superposed relation illustrated. Thus, it will be seen that when end portion 32 is located "invention is simple and efiicient.

,or space between two teeth 2i), preventing relative movement between plates and 12. V

A pair of opposed tabs 36 are-integrally formed at the lower corner of plate 12 out of the edge margins thereof tive transverse movement between plates 10 and 12. Tabs '36 thus serve to maintain the important relative position of the superposed'openings 22 and An L-sh-aped lever 38 is pivotally secured to the end of link means 30 opposite end portion 32, as by a rivet "40 or the like. The leg of lever 38 is pivotally secured "to plate 12, as by a rivet 42, so that as the free end 44 "of lever 38 is swung outwardly, Figure 2, link means 30 will be moved in a substantially transverse direction.

to provide guide ways through which the edge margins *of the overlapping portion of plate 10 slides during rela- Preferably the pivot points at rivets 40 and 42 are arranged such that when end 44 of lever 38 is in the inward "or locked position illustrated in Figure 1, rivet 42. is to an over center relation is provided so that forces tending to move apart plates 10 and 12 will act to pull end 44 inwardly to maintain the locked position thereof.

Plate 12 is formed at one edge margin to provide an ofiset keeper 46 to receive and retain the free end 44 of lever 38. Keeper 46 is bent out of the plane of plate 12 just enough to permit link end 44 to slide therein with a slight inward urging.

The operation of the antislipping device of the present The end 44 of lever 38 is swung outwardly to move end portion 32 into the wide end of slot of opening 24. In this position end portion 32 drops down off" camming ridge or shoulder 28 and out of engagement with teeth 20. Plates 10 and '12 are then freely slidable in a transverse direction, and the opposed clips 16 may be grasped by the user to widen the distance between them for fitting the device to the users footwear. With the device in position with plates 10 and 12 against the under surface of the shoe sole, the opposed clips 16 are urged together to bring the inturned flanges of clips 16 in position over the sole of the footwear. The antislipping device is now in position on the footwear, although somewhat loosely. v

End 44 of lever 38 is then swung inwardly into position under keeper 46. The inward movement of lever 38 urges link means 39 upwardly, Figure l, in a transverse direction, and this movement of link means 30 relative to plate 12 causes end portion 32 to ride up on camming ridge 28, forcing one edge of end portion 32 into engagement with teeth 20. Continued pivotal movement of lever 38 thereafter causes end portion 32 to carry teeth 20 in a transverse direction so that plates 11) and 12 are drawn together to tightly clamp clips 16 on the sole of the footwear.

Thus, there has been described an antislipping device which is particularly suited for detachable connection to the sole of footwear. The device has the important feature of adjusting itself to various sizes of footwear by an initialrelative movement of plates 19 and 12. Thereafter the novel arrangement of link means 30 with respect to openings 22 and 24 efiects engagement of link means 30 with teeth 20 to tightly clamp plates 10 and 12 to the footwear of the user.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its'broadest possibleinterpretation within the terms of the following claims.

I claim:

41. An antislipping device for detachable connection to the soles of footwear, said device comprising: a pair of plates having a plurality of calks and arranged in overlapping, transversely slidable relation, said plates being provided with opposed sole engaging clips, one of said plates being provided with a plurality of transversely spaced receiving means; a lever pivotally secured to the other of said plates; and link means pivotally secured at one end to said lever and including an element at the other end for selectively engaging one of said plurality of receiving means whereby pivotal movement of said lever means effects movement of 'said link means and consequent relative transverse slidable movement of said plates to alter the amount of overlap therebetween.

2. An antislipping device according to claim 1 and characterized in that one of said plates includes a pair of opposed tabs formed to provide guide ways through which the edge margins of the overlapping portion of the other of said plates slides during transverse movement thereof.

3. An antislipping device according to claim 1 and characterized in that said other of said plates is formed at one edge margin to provide an offset keeper out of the plane of said other of said plates to receive and retain the free end of said lever. I

4. An antislipping device for detachable connection to the soles of footwear, said device comprising: a pair of plates having a plurality of calks and arranged in overlapping, transversely slidable relation, said plates being provided with opposed sole engaging clips, one of said plates being provided with an elongated transversely extending first opening having one of the margins along its length formed into a plurality of transversely spaced apart peaks and valleys, said peaks being spaced from the opposite margin of said opening a first distance, the other of said plates being provided with a second opening arranged in superposed relation to said first opening, said second opening having one of its edge margins spaced from said peaks a second distance which is less than said first distance; link means having an end portion carried within said first opening, said end portion having a width less than said first distance so as to be freely slidable in said first opening and greater than said second distance whereby movement of said end portion in a substantially transverse direction effects movement of said end portion into engagement within one of said valleys to thereby transversely move said plates relative to each other; means connected between said link means and said other of said plates for moving said link means; and means for constraining said pair of plates against relative movement in a direction normal to transverse movement.

5. An antislipping device according to claim 4 and characterized in that said end portion extends through said first opening and includes an integral tab having a width greater than said first distance, said tab being formed in coplanar, spaced and slidable relation with said one of said plates to maintain said end portion within said first opening.

6. An antislipping device for detachable connection to the soles of footwear, said device comprising: a pair of plates having .a plurality of calks and arranged in overlapping, transversely slidable relation, said plates being provided with opposed sole engaging clips, one of said plates being provided with an elongated, transversely extending slot of substantially uniform Width, one of the margins along the length of said slot being formed to define a plurality of spaced apart teeth, the other of said plates being provided with an opening arranged in superposed relation to said slot, said opening having an edge margin defining a camming ridge closer to said teeth than the edge margin of said slot opposite said teeth; means for slidably securing together said pair of plates to maintain the relative distance between said; camming ridge and said teeth; link means having an end portion mentioned means including means for moving said end portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent plates without movement of said end portion, said last- 10 1,998,921

UNITED STATES PATENTS Ullrieh Jan. 27, 1920 Forbes Nov. 29, 1932 Conway July 24, 1934 Brown Apr. 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2 956 351 October 18, 1960 Dick A, Moon Column 1, line 20, for "sales" read soles Signed and sealed this 11th day of Agril l96li,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER ARTHUR W. CROCKER Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents 

